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Strobing Sticks Are the Future...

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Well of highlighting at least.

If ever you have struggled with highlighting powders - perhaps they are a little too tricky or time consuming to apply, and/or the finish isn't quite what you hoped for - then a cream based formula or two, is what your current make-up stash has been missing.

Much like just about any sub-category of beauty product, the humble cream highlighter comes in many guises (including compact, pencil and cushion form - yes really!) but my personal favourite has to be what the masses are referring to as "Strobing Sticks"; a chunky stick of highlighter to you and I. The beauty of both a cream texture and it conveniently being fashioned into essentially a crayon for your face, is that you can a, apply it anywhere without the need for a brush and b, such shape seems to offer more precision (again) than a brush can. I have also noticed that typically speaking budget beauty brands are King of the Strobe Stick; in case you need further convincing, I have whittled down my top five must haves for all skin tones and needs.

Sometimes less is more - Barry M Illuminating Strobing Cream £4.49 - link
Not everyone wants a bold, in your face, strip of radiance, sometimes a subtle, dewy, littering of shimmer is all a complexion needs, and for that I urge you to try out the Barry M Illuminating Strobing Creams. The domed shape of the product, perfectly glides over not only the cheekbones but the nose and eyelids with ease, should you want to apply a brightening, yet gentle glow to the majority of your face. Despite both shades of the Barry M Illuminating Strobing Creams (Frosty Pink and Iced Bronze) veering towards a barely-there finish, the cream-to-powder sticks do add a halo of light wherever applied - a great option for day wear. If you do like your highlight to all but visible from space, then the Barry M Illuminating Strobing Creams can serve as a base for other products to be layered on top of for a little extra dimension.

The multi-tasker - Soap & Glory Love at First Blush Cheek Stick £8.00 - link.
Is it a blush? Is it a highlighter? It's both actually depending on your skin tone. The beauty of the Soap & Glory Love at First Blush Cheek Stick is that the easy to wear, mid-tone flush of pink with golden nuance (it is not world's apart from NARS Orgasm in tone) can be directly applied to the apples of the cheeks to create a healthy flush. In my opinion this works best if you have a light to medium complexion, for those with a deeper skin tone this can double up as rose gold hued highlighter.

The suit-all option - Maybelline Master Strobing Stick £6.99 - link
If you are new to highlighting - cream or otherwise - the Maybelline Master Strobing Stick should be your next purchase. Light, medium or deep complexions, ignore the shade suggestions (light and medium) and plump for the shade that best suits your skin undertones - light is cool toned and pink based, medium is warm toned and mostly golden; however as they are highlighters you can't really go far wrong with either option, it all boils down to personal preference. I have the Maybelline Master Strobing Stick in Medium and find the light gold, almost metallic, creamy sheen to really brighten up my complexion - it is a dream to apply and blend out, it wears all day with ease and with the swipe of a fingertip, can double up as a cream eyeshadow.

For deeper complexions - MUA Luxe Ombre Shimer Stick £5 - link
Yes typically speaking all highlighters are intended to be used on all skin tones and types but if you have a deeper complexion, you may find some shades are simply too stark for your needs or taste for that matter. If this rings true, you might enjoy the new MUA Luxe Ombre Shimer Stick - a rainbow of glistening shimmer particles that is almost too pretty to use. Almost. As you can see the MUA Luxe Ombre Shimer Stick features three separate shades, with the deepest bronze dictating the applied shade (you can of course turn it onto it's side should you want to utilise the lighter sections). This rainbow inspired highlighter is not only one of the most pigmented finds of its type but the formulation is as close to perfection as I can imagine. It glides onto the skin with ease, blends out with no fuss, dries down to a powder finish and stays put until you remove it. It has been a while since I dipped into MUA products but if the MUA Luxe Ombre Shimer Stick is anything to go by, it is time I placed another order.

Isn't it great that all of the above options cost less than £10, I really do think that 2017 will be the year in which high street make-up reigns supreme.